Casey Wilson & Ken Marino – Marry Me

By starrymag | November 4, 2014

Q) In describing this show to people, I’ve used the word cute. And I wonder what you guys think about that. Is that an appropriate term or does that sound kind of juvenile?

Casey: I mean I think it is cute. I think it’s also kind of subversive and has some heart. But I guess maybe if you combine those, we get cute. I’ll take it.

Ken: That’s right. If subversive and heart ran into each other, they would make a cute baby.

Q) Is cute something if you have the right two people or is it just takes some kind of magic? I mean there’s a difference I think between cute and sexy, right?

Casey: Now you’re just hurting our feelings.

Ken: I assumed our show was sexy.

Casey: I did too. I thought we were making a very kind of erotic comedy but I guess now we’re hearing from America differently. I think at the end of the day we’re hoping it’s funny. But I think Ken and I and the rest of the cast – I think everyone really does have really great chemistry, which I think is probably why you’re feeling that way. So I think it’s good, yes. And I think it has to be the right chemistry and I think we did get lucky on the show.

Ken: But the next episode we’re all wearing fishnet stockings. So it should be a little bit more sexy for you.

Q) Casey, how much of Casey is in Annie and how much of Annie’s in Casey? So when you go to work is it like you’re slipping into a costume or are you already that character when you go to work?

Casey: I think Annie is a little more upbeat and probably friendlier than I am. No, I think there are definite similarities and I think I’m pretty emotional and I get big ideas and I want to see things through and kind of – they’re often wrong headed ideas. But I feel as though I’m playing a character but you never know. Maybe I’m not. You’ll never know. Ken, do you want to tell them about your character process?

Ken: Sure. I mean I have a whole process. There’s a big difference between me and Jake. I am actually six foot one. I’m 6-1. Jake is six foot. So every day I have to act an inch shorter on set.

Casey: It’s very expensive to dig those trenches.

Ken: Yes. Well sometimes if I act too hard. They’ll get the daily’s back and I’ll be 5-8. And then we have to do a whole re-shoot where I have to act less. But the key to acting is less acting and just reacting. So when I get to the reacting part, I’m usually coming in at six foot.

Casey: And I’ll tell you, these are the kind of pearls that I get showed with all day on set. And it’s really scintillating as everyone on the line can hear.

Q) To go backwards an episode when you all were in the Halloween episode, how cool was it to dress up like that? And do you ever do anything like that as extreme as those outfits in your real life?

Casey: Well, I love to dress up but I don’t have – what’s fun about the TV show obviously is we have Kathleen Karridene who’s a Makeup Artist extraordinaire and you get the real costumes and the makeup. So whenever I do it myself, it really looks like amateur hour for sure. But it was really fun getting to dress up and was really cool.

Ken: I usually just throw something together last minute. But I was impressed with my son this year. He decided that – my 7-year-old son wanted to be a sign spinner. So he just make a big sign that said $99 trips to Hawaii and then he spun the sign around and put on a moustache. And so that’s what I want to be next year so maybe we’ll be – we’ll both be sign spinners next year.

Casey: I feel like a $99 trip to Hawaii or something a scam artist.

Q) For both of you; what stories from your real life relationships are making it on screen or what can we expect to see?

Casey: Which is that I think it’s more of a runner right now but I’ve heard news that it might turn into more of a full fledged intervention between Annie and Jacob about Jake’s karaoke problem. And that is a problem Ken struggles with.

Ken: It’s not a problem.

Casey: You can see that’s the thing. He’s in denial right now.

Ken: There’s no problem whatsoever. I enjoy karaoke. I can do it when I want.

Casey: Who does it hurt? Who does it hurt?

Ken: It doesn’t affect the rest of my life.

Casey: That’s what he thinks. He thinks it doesn’t hurt anyone. But I know a lot of artists who have been hurt be hearing his renditions.

Ken: I’m not going to deny I don’t enjoy a good karaoke like a good four or five hour karaoke session. But who doesn’t?

Casey: I’m trying to think. Well we did have a – so a few episodes ago where my character or actually Ken’s character tried to get me to do this thing called then open eye cuddle, which is an intimacy exercise that I learned in acting school that I tried to get my husband to do where you stare about two inches from each other’s face and just stare into each other’s eyes. And my husband thought I was insane and refused to do it. It did not go well.

Ken: How long did that go on?

Casey: It went on about eight seconds. I don’t even think that much. And if anything, we are less close from that experience.

Q) Ken, does your feel the need to remind you of things you’ve done that might work on the show? Good things. Bad things.

Ken: She hasn’t yet. I mean, she hasn’t said anything that we should put on the show. But she’s constantly reminding me of all my flaws and things that I need to be better at in the house. Like putting my socks in the hamper as opposed to just kind of leaving them close to the hamper. She’s like, “You’d be right next to it. Just get them in there. Why just put them near it? Just get – just – go the extra distance.” And just like I go close to it and then I drop them there as if like I’ve done enough. The socks will make it the rest of the way. I’m trying to get the – in fact, encourage the socks to make it the rest of the way without me. It hasn’t helped. It hasn’t worked.

Q) I was wondering given that both you guys are writers and both you guys are super funny, how much of this is actually scripted and how much is stuff that you come with?

Ken: Well I mean David and the room full of writers are amazing and they write great scripts. So, David will encourage us to improvise off of that a little bit but I mean a lot of it – probably 95% of it is scripted I would say. Right Casey?

Casey: Yes. Yes. It’s definitely, you know, collaborative in a sense of if there’s something we want to do; we definitely do it and have fun with it. But the scripts are pretty tight, but we – Ken and I have initiated our own writer’s room with just the two of us that I wouldn’t say it’s gone over well.

Ken: No, no. They’re not big fans of it. But we mostly use stuff from line Bazooka Joe bubblegum wrappers and just kind of try to reinvent those jokes because those are classics and I think America wants to kind of enjoy the classics. You can’t get enough of it.

Casey: It’s caused I guess a rift is the word but it’s okay. We think that the writers move our way by the end.

Q) Casey, other female comedians like Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham to name a few show that women don’t have to be perfect to be considered funny or sexy or smart. They’re breaking down barriers, which I think you are doing as well. So with that said, do you think your character Annie feels the same way and why do you think she’s so relatable to women?

Casey: Well, thank you. I don’t know if Annie feels exactly the same way. I think Annie’s a little more high strung and kind of self conscious about how her life should look. But I think that – and it obviously never works out the way she’s planned. But I’ve seen a little bit of criticism about especially our opening episode because Annie really wants to get married. But I actually think there’s something a little bit more like significant about it in the sense that this couple’s been together for six years and this woman for a woman who works and kind of does it all, sometimes getting engaged is the one thing you don’t have any control over, which I think can be kind of frustrating. And I think it is actually relatable that you kind of – and I know a lot of women like this. You want to be in control of the one thing you kind of can’t be in control of in a way. So I don’t know if that answers your question but I think Annie is a little bit less so in thinking that she – that everything needs to be perfect. I think she’s does think everything needs to be perfect.

Q) I love that Gilda Radner’s referenced in this week’s episode. She’s such a beloved and talented comedian. So are either of you fans of hers? And is there anyone else you guys look up to or find inspiration from?

Casey: Well a huge fan of hers for sure.

Ken: Yes. We’re such huge fans of hers in our house that we named our dog after her. That is true. Our dog’s name is Gilda.

Casey: It’s awesome. I mean I think for me quickly I obviously – I just grew up by loving – there were so many kind of female funny women that I loved. Some of them were more labeled comedians than others. But I loved Lucille Ball. I loved Shirley McLean actually and Debra Winger I thought were really funny growing up and Madeline Kahn and Catherine O’Hara and Molly Shannon.

Q) Annie and Jake, will they be having as long of an engagement as you did a courtship? People still stay courtship. Right?

Ken: I don’t know what people are saying anymore. I don’t think so. I think the idea is that we’re going to marry, you know, sooner than later. Right Casey? No?

Casey: Yes. I think we’re probably going to get married at the end of the season because I don’t think the show’s going to be about will they, won’t they really. That’s kind of a spoiler alert. I think we will get married. And the show’s more following this couple and their friendships and kind of – I think it’s more about what happens when you are committed to someone than when you are on the fence.

Q) I also have a question about curses and this week deals with curses, you guys believe in curses? Do you think that some situations are just cursed or do you think that you just after a while things just go wrong because some situations are just like that?

Ken: I personally don’t believe in curses.

Casey: Some people are cursed.

Ken: Yes. I’m going to have to agree with Casey on that. I think some people are really cursed.

Casey: And a lot of animals are cursed too.

Q) I was just wondering if you guys ever get a script and there’s some humor in there that I wouldn’t say is inappropriate but maybe we haven’t seen on network TV before and you think how are we going to get away with this and maybe if you could talk about that?

Ken: I think that it’s always nice to read a script and see something that you haven’t seen before or something that’s pushing the envelope a little bit. And that’s always exciting for me to kind of go in and do that. And then whether or not it’s going to work on TV is kind of out of hands. I mean I – it’s just an exciting thing to approach and do and then you hope especially if it’s funny you hope that it gets on the air. And I think we’ve been kind of – I don’t know if we’ve been pushing the envelope or anything, but we’re doing what we want to do on the show and then that stuff is getting out there and I think that’s what makes the show special.

Casey: Yes. And I think what’s so much – there’s obviously so much programming and so many great cable shows that people love and gravitate to, to some degree that I think in some way we’re trying to do a show that exists on the line as much as we can just because I think there’s a reason, you know, people love something a little bit edgier. And I think in one episode – Ken, I’m thinking of the fertility episode. There was a scene that came – I think the network had the show was going to air like halfway through the season instead of earlier because it was a little too much. But I think ultimately it’s better to try that and see where we land.

Q) I have a question for you about the references to the Housewives and Skinny Girl. Do you guys watch the Housewives? Do you guys watch the Housewives and if so, which one is you favorite? And how do you like Skinny Girl?

Casey: I am an obsessive Housewives watcher and really love the show and was part of like a Housewives spoof show and just really – I’m both ashamed and unashamed of my love for them. And I watch all the franchises. I love – I do love Orange County and (Newark) the best followed by Beverly Hills.

Ken: Do you drink Skinny Girl?

Casey: Oh yes of course. And Dan Bucatinsky plays my dad also on the Housewives so we did a little improv in a couple episodes ago. And in terms of Skinny Girl Margarita, we’ve put it in a couple times because I love it. And I finally did – I’ve never done this before but I did tweet Bethenny Frankel and say, “Not for nothing. We’ve mentioned you twice. Can we get some?” We did on Friday we got – it was so good. I’m horrified that I did that. I don’t know what happened to me that day. And we got a huge box. We got some for the office. This poor woman. I basically bullied her into like donating her product to us.

Ken: I don’t watch the show but I did get very drunk on the Skinny Girl.

Q) Well now that you’ve heard so much about the Housewives Ken, will you start watching them?

Ken: Actually the truth is I started watching Housewives and it’s just a very hard show. When the fights break out, I get very uncomfortable and I can’t – I have to walk away. It’s just too much for me.

Casey: Well see Ken is a Bachelor fan and I can’t watch that show because I feel so uncomfortable. But it’s funny that we’ll both – we’ll not watch the other one.

Ken: I like the saccharin and the gooeyness of Bachelor and how just gross and like falsely romantic it is. Whereas like the Real Housewives is just like raw and it’s the fights that get me. It’s just I can’t – very uncomfortable for me.

Casey: Whereas yes, I can’t watch people like stumble over matters of the heart. I can’t watch it.

Q) So last week there were two cancellations of new comedies. Do you feel like comedies have a harder road to success than dramas? And how have you felt about the reception that Marry Me has gotten so far?

Casey: I think it’s very hard these days to make any television show. And anyone who’s trying to do anything should be applauded. It’s really hard. And I don’t think shows are given enough of a chance. And it’s a bummer because whenever I see anything on TV, and not to be too dramatic, but I think those people worked really hard on that show no matter how you feel about it. So I was bummed.

Ken: And I think it’s been nice the reception that Marry Me’s been getting. I think I feel like it’s – people have been responding mostly positive to it and both critically and they’re just, you know, fans and, you know, people I run up to on the street and certainly my mom.

Casey: Ken’s mom loves it.

Ken: My mom really loves it. And so that’s good. So does my dad. And so it’s nice to see that people are enjoying the show as much as we are enjoying making it.

Q) You guys have such great comedic timing. Is it something that’s always been natural to each of you?

Ken: I don’t know. It’s always been fun to kind of joke around and I’ve always enjoyed comedy. So I don’t know if it’s natural. I’ve kind of been around – I think we’ve both been running around in circles with friends who are comedians and actors who are comics and it just maybe kind of rubbed off on us. I don’t know.

Casey: Yes. I agree. I don’t know. I think that’s a hard question only just because – I don’t know. I think it’s just – I don’t know. Maybe just sort of habit from growing up. I’m not sure. I appreciate you saying that.

Ken: Yes. We’re huge fans of comedy and have studied comedy growing up and through our, you know, throughout our lives. And so it’s just I think that we want to do it because we enjoy it.

Casey: Yes. I always think like I wish growing up I’d been more into more subtle like actresses. I only watch like the broadest things and so my timing is so broad and it’s probably just mimicry.

Q) Well Casey, what do you think it is about the show that’s made it such a quick fan favorite program?

Casey: Well, I’m happy to hear that. I mean I don’t know. I think there is something nice. I like shows about a relationship because right away there’s some stakes to that and I think most people are in a relationship of some sort and especially a long-term one. There’s so much that goes on in it that’s funny. And I think it’s kind of nice to see that. And obviously it’s a sitcom and it’s a comedy. But I don’t know. I think there’s something very relatable and kind of it gives you a bit of a warm feeling but also you’re getting jokes out of it. So I hope that’s why people like it.

Ken: Yes. And I think that people – I know I do like when I watch TV. It’s nice to have a couple that you can root for, as opposed to something where it’s like will they, won’t they; are they going to get together, are they not going to get together. I like shows where like there’s a team that they’re against the world. And I feel like with Jake and Annie are a team that you get to watch every week and enjoy kind of the situations that they get into. And that’s the exciting thing.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*